Elon Musk realizes Mars is farther away than the moon and sets his sights on a new goal: “It’s much faster”
Among his files is a folder called 'Moon City', whose plan he wants to achieve in less than 10 years, without abandoning the Martian project.
If you can’t beat them, join them. And if NASA keeps going to the Moon, well, you take advantage of the trip. That seems to be what Elon Musk, owner of SpaceX, has decided, having abandoned, at least for now, the idea of heading straight to Mars. Given the current realities of space travel, the logic is hard to argue with.
The Moon is far quicker and easier to reach than Mars, which allows for faster iteration and construction. Musk explains that Mars can only be reached every 26 months, with a six-month journey, while the Moon can be reached roughly every 10 days, with a trip lasting just two days.
This does not mean he has abandoned his ultimate goal, which remains the colonisation of Mars. However, he argues that securing the future of human civilisation requires making progress on the Moon first, as it is a faster and more viable short-term step. Among his internal projects is a folder labelled Moon City, a plan he wants to realise in under 10 years, without giving up on the Martian ambition.
As he explained on his own social network, X, formerly Twitter: “For those who don’t know, SpaceX has already shifted its focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we could potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas on Mars it would take more than 20 years. SpaceX’s mission remains the same: to extend consciousness and life as we know it to the stars.”
He also reiterated why the Moon will remain more accessible: “It’s only possible to travel to Mars when the planets align every 26 months, with a six-month journey, while we can travel to the Moon every 10 days, with a two-day journey. This means we can build and complete a lunar city much faster than a Martian one. That said, SpaceX will also strive to build a city on Mars and will begin doing so in about five to seven years, but the main priority is securing the future of civilisation, and the Moon is faster.”
For those unaware, SpaceX has already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon, as we can potentially achieve that in less than 10 years, whereas Mars would take 20+ years.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 8, 2026
The mission of SpaceX remains the same: extend consciousness and life as we know it to…
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According to the tech entrepreneur, this is all part of yet another project that could be described, only half-jokingly, as saving the world.
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